brainpopfandomcom-20200223-history
Daylight Saving Time/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is frying eggs on the kitchen stove. MOBY: Beep. Moby's chest opens and reveals a digital clock reading seven fifteen. TIM: Sit down. We've got time. A ticking clock sweeps by and Tim and Moby are at their school lockers. TIM: Where is everybody? Tim opens a classroom door and sees students inside taking a test. The teacher points to the clock on the wall that reads eight fifty-five. TIM: Oops. My robot's, uh, my robot's clock was wrong. Moby's clock reads seven fifty-five. The teacher clears her throat. Moby and Tim sit down at their desks. Moby's clock reads: seven fifty-six. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Why do we have Daylight Savings Time? And what does it do? From, Gloria. Well, first of all, it's daylight saving time, not daylight savings time. An X appears over the "s" in "Savings" in the letter. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right, the idea is that we're "saving" daylight. Although we're not really saving daylight. It's more like we're shifting it around a little. During daylight saving time, we move our clocks an hour ahead. Moby moves his clock an hour ahead. TIM: That way, it stays dark an hour longer in the morning when most people are in bed. An image shows a sleeping boy in bed. It is dark outside. TIM: And it stays light an hour longer in the evening when people are out and about. An image shows boys playing basketball in the sunlight. TIM:So, daylight saving time helps us get more waking hours out of long summer days, which means more time for both work and play. Side-by-side images show the sleeping boy and boys playing basketball. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, daylight saving time is handled differently around the world, but in the United States, it works like this. At two a.m. on the second Sunday in March, everyone in the United States moves their clocks forward one hour. A calendar shows the month of March, with the second Sunday highlighted. Over the calendar, an animation shows the hands on a clock moving one hour ahead from two to three a.m. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, okay, not everyone. Hawaii and Arizona don't observe daylight saving time. A U.S. map shows these two states in a different color than the other states. TIM: At two a.m. on the first Sunday in November, everyone switches their clocks back to standard time. A calendar shows the month of November, with the first Sunday highlighted. An animation shows the hands on a clock moving one hour back from two to one a.m. TIM: The countries of the European Union use a similar schedule. A map shows the European Union and its flag. TIM: Their summer time begins on the last Sunday in March and switches back to universal time on the last Sunday in October. A chart shows the information Tim is describing. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The history's kind of complicated. While serving as an envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin suggested that Parisians could save candles by waking up earlier. An animation shows Benjamin Franklin strolling through a French countryside. TIM: That's basically the same idea as now, except today it's oil, not candles. In 1905, a British builder and outdoorsman named William Willett came up with the idea of actually shifting clocks during an early morning horseback ride. An image shows William Willett. TIM: He thought it was a shame that so many people were sleeping through the best part of a summer day. Starting in nineteen eighteen, the U.S. adopted various forms of daylight saving time on and off during times of war or energy crises. An animation shows a row of oil barrels scrolling past. TIM: And in nineteen eighty-six, a law was passed establishing daylight saving time from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. That schedule remained in place up until two thousand seven. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, that's when a new law called the Energy Policy Act took effect, and we switched to the current March-to-November schedule. It's all so the Secretary of Energy can see how lengthening daylight saving time affects our energy use. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, a lot of people have suggested that daylight saving time reduces the amount of energy we use. The thing is, we don't have enough data yet to prove that it's definitely true. Still, it seems to make sense: when families are home at night, they use lots of electricity. In fact, the most energy is used between four and seven in the evening. An animation shows a girl at home at five p.m. watching television with a lamp on. It is dark outside, and the houses outside her window have their lights on as well. TIM: So it would make sense that moving the clock ahead one hour keeps people out of their houses longer and might help decrease energy use. An animation shows the same room at five p.m. with the light and television off. The girl is outside. It is still light out, and the sun is shining. TIM: And some studies show that the number of traffic accidents during the early evening rush hour drops during daylight saving time. An animation shows someone driving a car. The car clock reads five fifteen, and the sun is still out. The driver swerves to avoid hitting a stopped car. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, one reason could be that people don't have to drive home in the dark when they're tired after a long day of work. An animation shows someone driving the car at the same time, but it is now dark outside. TIM: Again, keep in mind that we still don't have the numbers to prove all of this for sure. But the longer daylight saving time put into effect in two thousand seven will help us learn more. Tim's teacher clears her throat and hands Tim a detention slip. A ticking clock sweeps by. Tim is writing, "Spring forward, fall back," many times on the chalkboard while a smiling Moby sips a drink Moby's clock reads: three o six. TIM: Next time, would you please remember to change your clock? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts